Upwardly acting door having a torsion spring counterbalance



June 12, 1962 s ouP ETAL 3,038,535

UPWARDLY ACTING DOOR HAVING A TORSION SPRING COUNTERBALANCE Filed may 22, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 w LI T 5 FZAY D. CROJJWEZZ (Z/FFORD A. JCHACV/T 3,038,535 LJPWARDLY ACTING DOOR HAVING A TORSION SPRING COUNTERBALANCE Filed May 22, 1958 E. L,. STROUP ETAL June 12, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 I Hr. v

A 1 a WWW P 0 a N 4 Q a J .D Lam an June 12, 1962 E 1.. STROUP ETAL 3,038,535

' UPWARDLY ACTING DOOR HAVING A TORSION SPRING COUNTERBALANCE Filed May 22, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 &((((((((((@ 4 l/v I/EN 70/25 EARL 1. 5m 01 p FL AV 0. (Rosa 51L BY (A m olw A SOL/A 0/ 7 A TTORA/f).

3,038,535 UPWLY ACTING DOOR HAVING A TGRSION SPRING COUNTERBALANCE Earl L. Stroup, Flay D. Crosswell, and Clifford A.

Schacht, Hartford City, Ind., assignors to Overhead Door Corporation, Hartford City, Ind, a corporation of Indiana Filed May 22, 1958, Ser. No. 737,051 13 Claims. (Cl. 160-191) This invention relates to an upwardly acting door having a torsion spring counterbalance.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide an upwardly acting door having a torsion spring counterbalance including a winding drum and a support therefor which is readily adjustable to meet varying structural and installing conditions.

Second, to provide an upwardly acting door structure with adjustable means for mounting the winding drum and its shaft which adjustability eliminates a number of parts heretofore required in upwardly acting doors of the spring torsioned drum counterbalance type.

Third, to provide mounting fixtures for the counterbalancing means of upwardly acting doors which greatly simplify the installation and adaptation to various structural conditions commonly met with in installing doors of this type.

Fourth, to provide mounting fixtures for upwardly acting doors which are simple and economical in their parts and readily installed by workmen of ordinary skill.

Fifth, to provide mounting fixtures for an upwardly acting door that permit the door lift shaft and counterbalance structure to be assembled and installed as a unit on the mounting fixtures prior to final adjustment of the mounting fixtures.

Sixth, to provide an anchor for the torsion counterbalance spring of an upwardly acting door which anchor is adjustably clamped in place by the same mounting means that support the door elevating cables and drums.

Seventh, to provide a mounting fixture for upwardly acting doors that locates a bearing on each side of the door supporting drums but which is easily assembled and requires few parts.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of an upwardly acting door structure embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, the counterbalance spring being shown in section.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded view of certain parts of the invention illustrating details thereof.

FIG; 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating further details of certain of the parts in assembled relation.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view showing details of the track and supports with the head plate associated therewith.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view partially in vertical section illustrating the relationship of the counterbalance winding drum and the cable to certain of the supporting parts with the cable and parts arranged to support a relatively high lift door.

* FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view partially in vertical sec tion illustrating the relation of the cable to the winding drum and supporting parts with the cable and parts arranged to support a relatively low lift door.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of a modified arrangement of the door mounting structure in which the torsion anchor spring is not anchored to the support plate that carries the shaft bearing.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 8.

In the accompanying drawing 1 represents the wall of a building, 2 a door jamb and 3 a sectional door in closed position. These parts are shown conventionally.

The door sections are provided with rollers 4, only one of which is illustrated, adapted to travel on the track which comprises the upright section or reach 6, the horizontal section 7 and the curved intermediate connecting section 8. The track is supported by brackets 9 having slots 10 therein receiving bolts 11 for adjustably securing the brackets to the jamb 2 or other fixed part of the structure. The supporting bar 12 is of angled section and serves as a supporting member for the horizontal section 7 of the track projecting inwardly from the jamb. This support bar 12 is provided with an angled supporting racket 13 horizontally slotted at 14 to receive the attaching screws or bolts 15. This permits lateral adjustment of the supporting bar "12'.

On wide and heavy doors a supporting and counterbalance structure is provided at each end of the door. This structure is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7 and it should be borne in mind that the structure is duplicated at the other end of the door. The counterbalance cable 16 is connected at 17 to the door adjacent its lower end, the cable being desirably positioned at an edge of the door as is shown in FIG. 1. The winding drum 18 is mounted on the shaft 19 to which one end of the torsion spring 20 is secured by means of the block 21 secured to the shaft by means of the set screws 22.

At its outer end, the spring 20 is provided with an anchoring member '23 which is connected to the bight of the U-shaped racket 24 by means of the bolts 25. The shaft is arranged through an opening 26 in the bight of the bracket. A bearing 261 for the shaft is removably retained in a recess provided therefor in the anchor member by the bracket 24. The shaft 19 is provided with a bearing 271 on the supporting plate 27. The bearing supporting bar or plate 27 is carried by the head plate 28 having a laterally turned base flange 29 at its lower edge seated on the bar 12 and adjustably secured thereto by the bolts 3% engaging the slots 31 in the flange 29. The flange 29 has ear-like portions 32 struck out from the head plate and in effect constituting extensions for the flange, the slots 31 extending into these extensions, as is best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The head plate is provided with a laterally projecting flange 33 disposed against the inner side of the jamb member 2 and secured thereto by the bolts or lag screws 34. These screws are inserted after the head plate is adjusted on the supporting bar. The upper edge of the head plate is notched at 35 to receive the shaft 19 with the shaft extending through the bearing 271 carried by the bearing plate 27. This bearing plate is mounted on the head plate by means of the bolts 36.

The head plate is provided with a T-shaped slot or opening 37 receiving the T-shaped end 38 of the inner arm 39 of the bracket 24. The outer arm 40 of the bracket 24 is provided with a laterally turned car 41 disposed in lapping relation to the projecting end of the bearing plate 22 and secured thereto by means of the bolts 42. The securing of the outer arm of the bracket 24 locks the inner arm into the reduced portion of the slot 37 and thereby effectively secures the parts in assembled relation.

At its outer end the drum 18 is provided with a series of spiral grooves 43 of progressively larger diameter. This is to permit a single size drum to accommodate lift cables of doors Whose horizontal tracks vary in distance above the top of the doors. It will be apparent that a relatively high lift door will require a relatively long lift cable to fully open the door and this extra length of cable is taken up around the longer grooves 43 on the drum. A single length cable long enough for supporting a door with the greatest contemplated distance between the top of the door and the horizontal tracks could be used for all doors With the outer turns of the cable merely being Wrapped permanently around the drum when doors of less lift are supported by the cable. However, in order to eliminate the unnecessary length of cable on low lift doors the drum 18 is provided with a series of anchor holes 44 opening radially inwardly through the bottoms of the outer grooves 43. The upper end of the cable 16 is passed inwardly through the proper hole 44 and anchored to the drum by a stop plug 45 (see FIGS. 1 and 8) that is clamped on the cable and engages an inner surface of the drum.

In erecting the door and the door supporting structure the brackets 9 are attached to the door jambs to support the vertical rails in upright parallel positions. Final adjustments of the vertical rails 6 may be made by adjusting the brackets 9 laterally on the screws 11 before the screws are permanently tightened in the slots 10. The angled support brackets 13 are attached to the jambs in approximate position and the angled support bars 12 are loosely connected between the angle brackets 13 and the upper ends of the curved track sections 8. The lower ends of the curved track sections are secured to the brackets 9 in registry with the upper ends of the vertical tracks 6. The support plates 28 are then mounted on the support bars 12 but the connecting bolts 30 are merely hand tightened to permit final adjustment of the structure.

The counterbalanace structure is assembled on the shaft 19 while the shaft and parts are conveniently positioned on the floor. This sub-assembly includes the shaft,

the torsion counterbalance springs 20 and rotatable anchors 21. The fixed anchor members on the ends of the anchor spring are sleeved on the shaft and the bearings 261 mounted in the anchor members. The brackets 24 are positioned around the ends of the shaft and the drums 18 are slid onto the ends of the shaft. The entire assembly is then lifted into the U-shaped notches 35 in the support plates 28 where the weight of the counterbalance structure is conveniently supported. The bearing plates 27 and bearings 271 are then slide onto the ends of the shaft and the bearing plates secured to the support plates by the bolts 36. The cables 16 are then fully unwound corresponding to the lowered condition of the door and the drums 18 are shifted axially on the shaft until the cables just clear the heads of the bolts 46 that secure the horizontal support bars 12 to the angle brackets 13. In making this adjustment the support plates 28 may be slid axially outwardly of the shaft along the slots 31 to permit necessary outward movement of the drum 18. The head plate is then tightened in place by fully tightening the bolts 30 and the drum is moved axially inwardly to permit driving the permanent securing lag screws 34 through the support plate into the door jamb.

After the support plates are permanently secured in their adjusted positions the drum is slid axially outwardly to its proper position and is axially and non-rotatably secured to the shaft by means of a set screw 47 that engages in the keyway 48 in the end of the shaft. The inner bearing 261 and the fixed spring anchor 23 is then secured to the support plate by moving the inner arm and the T-shaped end 38 through the slot 37 in the support plate and then bolting the outer flange 41 to the hearing plate 27 as previously described. Forward edge of bearing plate 27 is moved forward to securely lock T- shaped end 38 in its slot 37 and bolts are secured.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 it will be noted that the support plate 28 may be adjusted inwardly of the door way as shown in FIG. 6 to properly locate a long cable with respect to the track 7 or the support plate may be adjusted outwardly as shown in FIG. 7 to properly locate a relatively short cable with respect to the tracks. In either adjusted position all of the parts are easily mounted and assembled and in the final assembled condition the shaft and drum are firmly supported and aligned by inner and outer bearings 261 and 271 supported closely adjacent the ends of the drums. The fixed anchors 23 for the torsion spring arm firmly supported through the bracket 24 on the support plate 28 so that it is unnecessary to particularly locate or support the middle of the shaft or the inner end of the spring 20. It will be appreciated that the blocks 21 and the inner ends of the spring rotate with the shaft to store up or deliver torsional counterbalance loads from the spring to the shaft.

In FIGS. 8 and 9 I illustrate a modified form or embodiment of my invention which, however, does not have certain of the advantages of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7 inclusive. This modified form is, however, a more economical structure and is practical for use under certain conditions particularly on lighter weight doors. In this embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 the supporting bracket 12 is the same as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 7 inclusive. It is adjustably mounted on the jamb and serves both as a counterbalance support and a support for the rail. The head bracket or plate 28A is substantially the same as the head bracket 28 of FIGS. 1 to 7 except that it is not adjustably mounted on the support bracket 12, the adjustment being effected by the adjustment of the supporting bracket 12. In this embodiment the bearing plate 27A on which the bearing 271 is mounted is bolted to the head plate 28A at 36 to support the shaft 19 disposed in the recess 35 in the plate 28A. The torsion spring 20 in this embodiment is secured at one end to the bracket 50 mounted on a fixed support, for example, a wall 1. The other end of the spring is secured to the shaft 19 by the coupling member or collar 21 which is the same as that disclosed in the other figures. This collar or coupling member is rotatably adjustable on the shaft to apply the desired torsion to the spring, and is secured in its adjusted position by the screw 22. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the supporting bracket 50 is illustrated with two spring anchoring plates 49 secured thereto, but it will be understood that in some embodiments a single spring is sufficient. In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated only one drum, but it will be understood that the shaft is provided with two drums and the supporting mechanism described are duplicated.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a vertically acting door assembly including a door, an upright door jamb extending above the door when the door is in closed position, an angled track for the door, and a support member for said track mounted on said jamb to project rearwardly therefrom, the improvement comprising a counterbalance shaft, a drum on said shaft, a cable connected to said door and to said drum to be wound thereon, a head plate recessed at its upper edge to receive said shaft and having a transversely slotted bottom flange disposed on said support, clamping bolts engaging the slots in said slotted flange for adjustably securing said head plate to said support member, said head plate having a laterally projecting flange at its rear end adapted to be secured to said jamb in adjusted positions of the said head plate, said head plate having a T- shaped slot at its inner end, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft removably secured to said head plate, a U-shaped bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight portion thereof through which said shaft extends, the rear arm of said bracket being provided with a T head engageable with said slot in said head plate and projecting through said head plate into retained engagement behind the rear end of said bearing plate, the front arm being bolted to said bearing plate, a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft and provided with an anchoring member at its other end removably connected to the bi'ght of said bracket and a second bearing for said shaft retained between said anchor and the bight of said bracket.

2. In a vertically acting door assembly including a door, an upright door jamb extending above the door when the door is in closed position, an angled track for the door, and a support member for said track mounted on said jamb to project rearwardly therefrom, the improvement comprising a counterbalance shaft, a drum on said shaft, a cable connected to said door and to said drum to be wound thereon, a head plate recessed at its upper edge to receive said shaft and having a transversely slotted bottom flange disposed on said support, clamping bolts engaging the slots in said slotted flange for adjustably securing said head plate to said support member, said head plate having a laterally projecting flange at its rear end adapted to be secured to said jamb in adjusted positions of said head plate, said head plate having a T- shaped slot at its inner end, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft removably secured to said head plate, a U-shaped bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight portion thereof through which said shaft extends, the rear arm of said bracket being provided with a T head engageable with said slot in said head plate, the front arm being bolted to said bearing plate to hold the rear arm of the bracket in interlocked engagement with the support plate, a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft and provided with an anchoring member at its other end removably connected to said bracket, and a second shaft bearing retained between said anchor member and the bight of said bracket.

3. In a vertically acting door assembly including a door, an upright door jamb extending above the door when the door is in closed position, an angled track for the door and a support member for said track mounted on said jamb to project rearwardly therefrom, the improvement comprising a counterbalance shaft, a drum on saidshaft, a cable connected to said door and to said drum to be wound thereon, a head plate recessed at its upper edge to receive said shaft and having a transverse bottom flange disposed on said support, clamping bolts securing the flange of said head plate to said support member, said bolts passing through transverse slots in one of the connected members to permit adjustment thereof, said head plate having a laterally projecting flange at its rear end adapted to be secured to said jamb after said head plate is adjusted, said head plate having a stepped slot at its inner end, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft removably secured to said head plate, a U-shaped bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight portion thereof through which said shaft extends, the rear arm of said bracket being provided with a head engageable with said slot in said head plate, said head having a notched portion engageable in the step of the slot in said head plate, the front arm being removably secured to said head plate to hold the rear arm of the bracket in interlocked engagement with the support plate, and a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft and provided with an anchoring member at its other end connected to said bracket.

4. In a vertically acting door assembly including a door, an upright door jamb extending above the door when the door is in closed position, an angled track for the door, and a support member for said track mounted on said jamb to project rearwardly therefrom, the improvement comprising a counterbalance shaft, a drum on said shaft, a cable connected to said door and to said drum to be wound thereon, a head plate mounted on said support for adjustment transversely thereof, said head plate having a laterally projecting flange at its rear end adapted to be secured to said jamb after said head plate is adjusted, said head plate having a T-shaped slot at its inner end, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft removably secured to said head plate, a U-shaped bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight portion thereof through which said shaft extends, the rear arm of said bracket being provided with a T head interlockingly engageable in said slot with said head plate, the front arm being bolted to said bearing plate, and a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft and provided with an anchoring member at its other end removably connected to said bracket.

5. In a vertically acting door assembly including a door, an upright door jamb extending above the door when the door is in closed position, an angled track for the door, and a support member for said track mounted on said jamb to project rearwardly therefrom, the improvement comprising a counterbalance shaft, a drum on said shaft, a cable connected to said door and to said drum to be wound thereon, a head plate mounted on said support for adjustment transversely thereof, said head plate having a laterally projecting flange at its rear end adapted to be secured to said jamb after said head plate is adjusted, said head plate having a slot at its inner end, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft secured to said head plate, a U-shaped bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight portion thereof through which said shaft extends, the rear arm of said bracket being provided with a head engageable in said slot in said head plate and having a notched portion engageable with the edge of the slot in said head plate, the front arm being connerted to said head plate, and a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft and provided with an anchoring member at its other end connected to said bracket.

6. In a vertically acting door assembly including a door, an upright door jamb extending above the door when the door is in closed position, an angled track for the door, and a support member for said track mounted on said jamb to project rearwardly therefrom, the improvement comprising a counterbalance shaft, a drum on said shaft, a cable connected to said door and to said drum to be wound thereon, a head plate mounted on said support for adjustment transversely thereof, said head plate having a slot at its inner end, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft secured to said head plate, a U-shaped bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight portion thereof through which said shaft extends, the rear arm of said bracket being interlockingly engageable in said slot with said head plate, the front arm being removably connected to said head plate, a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft and provided with an anchoring member at its other end connected to said bracket, and a second shaft bearing supported by the bight of said bracket.

7. A counterbalance for a vertically movable door comprising a cable adapted to be attached to the door, a shaft, a cable drum mounted on and fixed to said shaft, a supporting bracket adapted to be attached to a support member, a head plate mounted on said supporting bracket for lateral adjustment thereon and having an upwardly facing recess therein in which said shaft is disposed, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft mounted on said head plate, said head plate having a laterally projecting flange on its rear edge adapted to be attached to a support member and having a T-shaped slot at its inner end, a U-shaped spring and shaft bearing supporting bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight thereof through which said shaft is disposed, the rear arm of said bracket being provided with a T-shaped head portion retainingly engaged with said T-shaped slot in said head plate, the front arm of said spring supporting bracket being secured to said bearing plate and thereby retaining the rear arm in engagement with said slot in said head plate, a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft, and an anchoring member for said spring connected to the bight of said U- shaped bracket and provided with a bearing for said shaft and to which the other end of said spring is connected.

8. A counterbalance for a vertically movable door comprising a cable adapted to be attached to the door, a shaft, a cable drum mounted on and fixed to said shaft, a supporting bracket adapted to be attached to a support member, a head plate mounted on said supporting bracket, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft mounted on said head plate, said head plate having a T-shaped slot at its inner end, a U-shaped spring and shaft bearing supporting bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight thereof through which said shaft is disposed, therear arm of said bracket being provided with a T-shaped head portion retainingly engaged with said T-shaped slOt in said head plate, the front arm of said spring supporting bracket being secured to said bearing plate and thereby retaining the rear arm in engagement with said slot in said head plate, a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft, and an anchoring member for said spring connected to the bight of said U-shaped bracket and to which the other end of said spring is connected.

9. A counterbalance for a vertically movable door comprising a cable adapted to be attached to the door, a shaft, a cable winding drum mounted on and connected to said shaft, a supporting bracket adapted to be mounted on a support which is relatively fixed in relation to the-door to which the cable is attached, a head plate mounted on said supporting bracket, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft mounted on said head plate, said head plate having a T-shaped slot at its inner end, a U-shaped spring supporting bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight thereof through which said shaft is disposed, the rear arm of said bracket being provided with a T-shaped head portion retainingly engaged with said T-shaped slot in said head plate, the front arm of said spring supporting bracket being secured to said head plate, the rear end of said bearing plate being in retaining engagement with the rear arm of said spring supporting bracket, a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft, and an anchoring member to which the other end of said spring is connected to the bight of said U-shaped bracket and provided with a bearing for said shaft.

10. A counterbalance for a vertically movable door comprising a cable adapted to be attached to the door, a shaft, a cable winding drum mounted on and connected to said shaft, a supporting bracket adapted to be mounted on a support which is relatively fixed in relation to the door to which the cable is attached, a head plate mounted on said supporting bracket, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft mounted on said head plate, said head plate having a slot at its inner end, a U-shaped spring supporting bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight thereof through which said shaft is disposed, the rear arm of said bracket being retainingly engaged with said slot in said head plate, the front arm of said spring supporting bracket being secured to said head plate, a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft, and an anchoring memher to which the other end of said spring is connected to the bight of said U-shaped bracket.

11. A vertically acting door assembly including a door, an upright doorjamb extending above the door when the door is in closed position, a track for said door, a cable connected to said door, a winding drum for said cable, a bracket mounted on said door jamb to project forwardly therefrom, a head plate adjustably mounted on said supporting bracket to project upwardly therefrom, a bearing plate provided with a bearing for said shaft mounted on said supporting bracket for lateral adjustment thereon, a U-shaped spring supporting bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight thereof through which said shaft is disposed, said head plate being provided with a slot in which the rear arm of said spring supporting bracket is engaged, the front arm of said bracket being detachably connected to said bearing plate, the rear end of said bearing plate being in engagement with the rear arm of said spring supporting bracket for retaining it in engagement with said slot and said head plate, a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft, and an anchoring member for the other end of said spring connected to said U-shaped bracket.

12. A vertically acting door assembly including a door, an upright door jamb extending above the door when the door is in closed position, a track for said door, a cable connected to said door, a winding drum for said cable, a bracket mounted on said door jamb to project forwardly therefrom, a head plate mounted on said supporting bracket, a bearing for said shaft mounted on said supporting bracket, a U-shaped spring supporting bracket embracing said drum and having an opening in the bight thereof through which said shaft is disposed, mounted on said bracket, a torsion spring connected at one end to said shaft, and an anchoring member for the other end of said spring connected to said U-shaped bracket.

13. A vertically acting door assembly including a door, an upright jamb extending above the plane of the upper end of the door when the door is in closed position, a track for said door, a cable attached to the door, a cable winding drum, a shaft to which said drum is connected, a bracket mounted on said door jamb for lateral adjustment thereon and to project rearwardly therefrom, a head plate adjustably mounted on said supporting bracket to project upwardly therefrom and provided with a bearing for said shaft, and a torsion spring connected to one end to said shaft and non-rotatably supported at its other end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Moler Dec. 1, 1953 

